1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a recycle document feeder which is mounted on an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a facsimile machine, an image reader or the like, and adapted to feed a document original to be read by the image forming apparatus from a document placing plate to a reading position and then back onto the document placing plate after image reading of the document original.
2. Description of Related Art
Recycle document feeders are conventionally known which are mounted on a copying machine, for example, and adapted to automatically feed a document original previously set on a document placing plate onto a contact glass of the copying machine and then back onto the document placing plate after image reading of the document original.
Such a recycle document feeder typically has means for dividing document originals fed back onto the document placing plate from a stack of document originals previously set on the document placing plate for prevention of needless re-feeding of the document originals once subjected to the feeding operation.
The recycle document feeder further includes means for transporting the document originals fed back onto the document placing plate to a predetermined setting position on the document placing plate when the document originals are to be fed again, and means for neatly arranging the document originals already subjected to the feeding operation so as to allow the document originals to be readily removed from the document placing plate.
However, the conventional document dividing mechanism and document arranging mechanism each have a complicated structure. In addition, these mechanisms respectively require driving devices, thereby increasing the size and cost of the document feeder.